Michael Appleton pledges changes to his Blackpool side after Rotherham horror show

The Seasiders make the trip to The Den off the back of a worrying 3-0 defeat to Rotherham United on Wednesday night.

Appleton’s side were second best across the park and there were a number of below-par displays, especially in central midfield.

As a result, Blackpool’s head coach suggests certain players can have no complaints if they find themselves out of the team this weekend.

“One thing is for sure, we definitely need to change it up in terms of personnel because there are one or two that have been doing enough, whether it’s coming off the bench or in training to deserve a chance,” Appleton said.

“The likelihood of that happening on Saturday is pretty high at the minute.

“That might change once I’ve slept and I’ve calmed down a little bit, but my initial reaction is that there will be at least a couple of changes on Saturday and hopefully they will be positive ones.”

Appleton cut an understandably disappointed figure after Wednesday night’s defeat after witnessing his side’s worst display of the season.

Some choice words were surely said within the confines of the dressing room, both at half-time and at the final whistle, but Appleton insists calm heads are now required to put it right.

“When you speak to a group and you raise your voice and say things that might hurt or disappoint one or two, that’s okay in the moment because it’s emotion,” Pool’s head coach added.

“Once the emotion dies down it’s about speaking to individuals and showing them as a group and trying to make an impact from that point of view, whether it’s on the grass or in the video room.

“The one thing we have to do really quickly is rectify that because come Saturday, if we don’t do it again, it could be another difficult afternoon.

“The players have shown character this season, so they’re going to need to show it again on Saturday and show it in abundance to bounce back.”